WEEK 15 NFL PREVIEW AND PICKS!!!

Talk about a week I wish I would have put money on all my picks. If I put equal money on all these I would have made out like a bandit!!! This may be a good time to mention a little tip for some new to football gambling – Vegas automatically gives 3 points to the home team. Then they make the lines from there. So for example – this week the Panthers are favored at home by 3 this week against the Cards…so basically Vegas is saying that these teams are equally as ****ty. The Ravens are only favored by 1.5 points at home vs the Saints, so here Vegas believes the Saints are actually the better team. If you need me to explain further I can, but I figured I should explain that first.

Week 14 Worst Pick: Denver over Arizona for the win AND against the spread. Why? Because it's the 3rd team to fire it's coach mid-season and it worked out for the other 2. Not to mention they were playing one of the worst teams in the league and John Skelton was making his first start. Oh well - that's why they play the games!

Week 14 Best Pick: Miami over the Jets! Of course, who else? Will the Steelers put the nail in the coffin this week? I'll address that in my picks below.

Week 14 Retarded Result: The Bucs winning because of a MISSED EXTRA POINT!!! It's funny - one of my buddies' leagues counts a missed XP as -100 points! He was #1 in the league and lost in the first round because of it. And he's the Commish

Week 14 great finish for us gamblers: Ravens get the TAINT (Touchdown After INTerception) in OT!!! It was Ravens favored by three...they almost give the game away...end up it OT. I'm thing "$hit the best I'll do now is just "Push" the spread...then Schaub throws a TAINT! Yay!

Without further ado:

SUNDAY, 19 DEC. 2010 - 1:00PM EST

SAINTS @ RAVENS (-1.5)
I take the Saints (obviously with the points). I think the Ravens were actually exposed Monday night for their lack of a run game and pass rush. This would be the first possible time for the Ravens to start crumbling, but it may have started. Meanwhile the Saints have won 6 in a row and statistically are among the league’s best on BOTH sides of the ball. And statistically the Ravens are very mediocre, believe it or not – even on defense! It’s a dangerous time of year to be giving up leads late in games!

CARDINALS @ PANTHERS (-3)
Ah! The Toilet Bowl game of the week! These always end badly for the gamblers. Nonetheless the Cards looked impressive last week at home vs a ****ty team with a new coach…yea I’ll take ‘Zona and the points. Why not?

BROWNS @ BENGALS (-1)
I think the Browns actually win this one. The Bengals are sloppy, undisciplined, and hopefully people are seeing Palmer for what he is RIGHT NOW…this is not the 2006 Carson Palmer. He is actually a liability now – but on the bright side the Bengals are in first place for the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes. A new QB could be right around the corner.

REDSKINS @ COWBOYS (-7)
This is the Super Bowl for the Cowboys. That stadium, the players, the fans, the coaches, are going to be fired up and out for blood. I take the Cowboys AND the points. By the way McNabb is statistically having the worst year of his career. And after that bull$hit last weekend I’m picking against the Skins from here on out.

JAGUARS @ COLTS (-4)
Upset of the week. This is it – it’s where the Jags can actually take over as the Champions of the AFC South. In front of the Colts’ home crowd no less. This will be the first time…probably ever…that I’m putting actual $$$ against Manning at home. I could put stats and everything here, but none of that matters. The Jags have built up to this for years. Jack Del Rio will have them ready for this.

BILLS @ DOLPHINS (-4.5)
Well I’d take the win straight up, but definitely would even bet on the spread. A huge rivalry, Bills’ Defense is still solid, Dolphins are 1-5 at home, Chad Henne, Chad Henne, Chad Henne….I’m probably even being a “homer” by picking them to win at this point. But the Fins are still in the playoff race and gotta show up for the Bills at home, right?

EAGLES @ GIANTS (-3)
Vegas seems to think these teams are dead even. I think Eli has a hard time against this defense and Vick shows up at important times. The Giants’ run game and pass rush are huge…but I think all around the Eagles are the better team and will beat the Giants in New York.

CHIEFS @ RAMS (-3)
Chiefs are playing with now 0-10 Brodie Croyle vs a team still looking at the playoffs. If it was at Arrowhead then maybe a different story, but the Chiefs are doomed on the road – especially without Cassel. Take the Rams and the points.

LIONS @ BUCS (-4.5)
The Bucs are officially injury Ravaged after losing MORE starter for the season. Meanwhile the Lions’ D Line looks as dominant as ever after that showing against the Pack last week. I take the Lions in the upset. AND IT WOULD BE THE LIONS’ 1ST ROAD WIN IN ALMOST 3 YEARS!!!!

TEXANS @ TITANS (-1)
Really? The Titans favored? Because of Chris Johnson? Uh…no take the Texans. The Titans quit on Fisher, Moss is non-existent, Houston has played six potential playoff teams in seven weeks and hung with all of them; Tennessee has lost six straight. And Andre Johnson will be fired up for Finnegan!!!! What am I missing?

SUNDAY, 12 DEC. 2010 - 4:15PM EST

FALCONS (-6) @ SEAHAWKS
Taking the Falcons and the points: When the Seahawks lose, they LOSE. So far this season, they've lost by 17, 17, 30, 34, 15, 18 and 19 points. I see the streak continuing Sunday. I’ve heard a lot of reasons why the Falcons may lose this one – but I think it’s people trying to bring down the odds, or get people to watch what will probably be an uncompetitive game.

BRONCOS @ RAIDERS(-7.5)
Yes I think the Raiders win…and yes the Broncos did get blown out against the Cards last week. And this week it was just announced (5:00pm EST, Saturday) that Tim Tebow is starting. Why not? The coach has nothing to lose – he knows that the HC job isn’t his at the end of this season. But I don’t have enough faith in the Raiders to blow the lid off of a game. Can’t take the points on this one.

JETS @ STEELERS (-5.5)
Hmmm…by 6? I dunno, Polamalu is out…and when 2 great defenses get together I hate taking any team winning by basically a TD. I do think the Steelers win and Sanchez slips further…and the Jets’ ground game gets shut down. It would be great if Santonio Holmes didn’t get a catch at all, right?

SUNDAY NIGHT PRIMETIME, 12 DEC. 2010 - 8:15PM EST

PACKERS @ PATRIOTS (-14)
Christ that’s a high line for the NFL. But since Rodgers is out and that injury ravaged D is starting to gas out, I gotta take the Pats crushing the Packers in Primetime in Foxboro. The Pats are peaking at the perfect time – bad news for the rest of the NFL. The 2007 Pats peaked at the beginning of the year and were heading downhill going into the playoffs. The Super Bowl winning Pats teams peaked at this exact time! And this team looks better than THOSE Pats teams. Damn it I hope they get upset in the playoffs but that’s not likely at this point. Whoda thunk that Deion Branch would have better stats at the end of this year than Moss?!?! I love the crazy twists that happen every season!!!

MONDAY NIGHT PRIMETIME, 13 DEC. 2010 - 8:30PM EST

BEARS (-7) @ VIKINGS
Taking the Bears and the points. Why? Joe Webb (converted wide receiver/third-string QB who's never played in cold weather before) or Brett Favre (washed-up quarterback who can't physically do it anymore)? And there's no third choice? How can this Vikings season keep getting worse? Name me a more agonizing football season from January to December than the 2010 Minnesota Vikings just had. You can't. In January, they blew an almost-certain Super Bowl trip. February through November was about as much fun as Andy Dufresne's first two years at Shawshank. And then, just when you thought it couldn't get worse, the Metrodome roof caved in right before two home games and now they have to deal with a winter of "Los Angeles?" rumors. You know what's really crazy? Every true Vikings fan over the age of 35 (like my buddy Geoff) is secretly doing backflips that the team is finally playing another outdoor game in Minnesota on a rock-hard field in dreadfully cold weather … but they have to play 10 against 11 while on offense. Sports can be a cruel mistress.